Urinalysis

Odour

• Sweet: DKA/glycosuria
• Pungent: infection
• Ammonia-type smell: alkaline urine

Appearance/turbidity

• Discolouration
  • Red: haematuria/haemoglobinuria/myoglobinuria, porphyria, beetroot, drugs (rifampicin)
  • Brown: bile pigments, myoglobin, methaemoglobin, drugs (levodopa, metronidazole, antimalarials, nitrofurantoin)
  • Green/blue: Pseudomonas UTI, biliverdin, drugs (amitriptyline, methylene blue, propofol)
  • Orange: bile pigments, drugs (phenothiazines)
• Cloudiness: pus, pyuria, alkaline urine phosphate crystals
• Sedimentation

Urine dipstick analysis

Test yourself!

In which age groups are urine dipsticks not useful in the diagnosis of urinary tract infection?

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A urine dipstick is undertaken in a patient with a severe acute kidney injury. 3+ protein is detected and nephrotic syndrome is suspected. Which further test can be used to quantify the proteinuria? What this the result threshold for nephrotic syndrome?

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Which is the most common organism to cause a UTI?

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